Spice Temple, Sydney

One of the things R and I hadn’t done in Sydney was to try out cool new restaurants and have a nice relaxing lunch. We did that often back in India where we’d leave our lil rascal with mum and go gallivanting about the streets of Koramangla or Indiranagar in Bangalore, trying out the newest restaurant or watering hole on the block. So R decided to take me out as a prelude to my birthday, on Friday, when junior goes to day care. We chose Spice Temple at Bligh Street, in the city. I had read enough and more on Time Out Sydney about Spice temple and I was very very keen on eating something spicy, exciting and new. So we decided to try Chinese but not the run of the mill  fare.  We chose Spice Temple only based on what Timeout Sydney wrote-  And special it is – a Chinese restaurant that does not serve any Cantonese dishes. Instead, you'll find a menu that roams China from Sichuan to Yunnan to Guangxi. But the question tingling on everyone's lips is the chilli factor. "The dishes [on the menu] that are in red, they're hot," explains Perry. "Chilli isn't just about blowing people's minds out. It really is about adding that flavour and mouth-feel and excitement." Go with a bunch of friends and try as many different dishes for the table as you can. You're guaranteed to taste something here that your mouth has never experienced before. In a very, very good way.

I was so unprepared for what came on the table that afternoon - the aromas were invigorating, heady and mysterious and the food tasted like nothing I have had before. By far, my best dining experience, yet. Very very different from what you might expect. The ambience is perfect and they also have a scintillating white bar. Below are some pictures of what we ordered and ate. If you are in Sydney, don’t give this place a miss at any cost!

 

 

(In the pics from top left: A beautiful bowl :), Bloody Mary in a  chilli, sesame, sugar and salt rimmed glass, Chicken Wings – Super Hot!, Fish with green and red chilli sauce (I’ve forgotten what it was called),  3 shot chicken, Ginseng tea, peanut, caramel and chocolate parfait, dessert menu :-) )

Sushi in Sydney

Sydney food courts are a delight for foodies. Especially for Japanese food lovers. Every street corner will have a Sushi bar, and all food courts will have an Asagao. Asagao is a Sushi chain, perhaps the largest one in Sydney. They are always crowded and in city, people queue up to be seated. But I have seen most people grabbing a Sushi roll or a takeaway Sashimi plate and hurrying back to their offices. The Asagao near our place, at the Rhodes shopping mall has plenty of seating space, of course at peak lunch hours, these are taken too.

 

 

 

The dictionary meaning of sushi is -Cold cooked rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, egg, or vegetables and wrapped in seaweed.

I am fascinated by how Sushi is made and the way they look. By far the most interesting and pretty looking food I have seen. And when they are stacked in rows they look really lovely. And they say Sushi tastes best when freshly made and eaten. If your Sushi is hard, then its probably stale or has been sitting on the shelves for way too long. I however, am not a Sushi lover. But I have heard how Sushi in Sydney is ‘remodeled’ to suit the palates of a floating Indian population, with stuff like Tandoori Chicken Sushi!! Besides these the dumplings, which are called Gyozas look pretty out of the world too. For the busy office goers you have the regular lunch boxes, and for the more choosy ones there is a pretty extensive menu to choose from- chicken teriyaki, ramen, noodles, pork dumplings, stir fries, BBQ noodles, sea food rolls and plenty more to choose from. The  Asagao at the Rhodes Shopping mall doesn’t have a Sushi Train. I’ve heard that the Asagao at Pitt Street is a Sushi train restaurant. Wondering what a Sushi train is? Sushi Train restaurants are said to be a cost effective way of eating sushi. At these restaurants, the sushi is served on color-coded plates, with each color denoting the cost of the sushi serving. The plates are placed on a conveyor belt – yah just like the airport ones :-). As the belt or boat passes, the customers choose their desired plates. After finishing, the bill is tallied by counting how many plates of each color have been taken.

 

But my man here, was not very impressed with all the Sushi talk. He decided to go for a seafood noodle instead. When it finally arrived, I was ready with my camera to shoot him devouring octopuses, muscles, scallops, shrimps and what not. Yah, there is marine life in his stomach.

 

 

 

Apparently it tasted pretty good. But not as good as what I churn out in KG’s kitchen. Now, that’s what he said. Hmmmm :D Grin grin.